Contending with freshwater scarcity The writer is an academic and researcher. He is also the author of Development, Poverty, and Power in Pakistan, available from Routledge While water is vital to life, over two billion people live in countries experiencing major water stress. Our changing climate, growing global population, and reckless pollution have combined to create a major water crisis. This existing situation will worsen in coming decades around much of the world, but especially in regions like the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, and parts of China. We need freshwater not only to drink, but for agricultural production, rearing livestock, and sanitation purposes. Inadequate and unsafe water supplies are causing serious health problems and have begun to worsen food insecurity. The likelihood of water-related conflict is also a serious concern, especially in countries like India and Pakistan, which share glacial waterways being eroded due to global warming.